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Baton Rouge Appraiser Tips When Hiring Building Contractors

The Baton Rouge Appraisal Blog Pic Of The Week July 15 2014 is a tip for home owners hiring a Baton Rouge Building Contractor to remodel your home.

Check out the four photos below and the five (5) tips I’m recommending you need to be aware of, problems the Contractor added to this family’s financial life. The photos show the “After” of a Contractor’s renovation.

1.) Look at the birds nest mess of wiring the Contractor left improperly installed and pointed out by Home Inspection as a major repair issue.

3.) Yes, I’m skipping to #3. Contractor failed to install the proper and up to East Baton Rouge Parish building code GFCI electrical outlets near wet areas on Kitchen counters

2.) Back to #2. The low roof pitch of this Baton Rouge Garden District led the Contractor to install a 500lb hot water heater (when full) half inside attic and half outside of attic. It rests and is supported by a single cabinet above the refrigerator. Both the Home Inspector and myself called for real supports be installed.

4.) That is a large commercial grade gas range oven, very heavy unit. The subflooring was not properly reinforced and now the floor is leaning or sinking because of this too heavy commercial oven.

5.) The Laundry Room is inside the home with the same roof pitch as the entire home itself. However, this 8.6’ x 15.5’ 133sf Laundry Room is an addition, has a brick wall inside AND DOES NOT HAVE A CENTRAL UNIT HEATING COOLING VENT INSTALLED. And, the doors to Laundry Room are solid wood and don’t allow for adequate ventilation. When the dryer is run, this room heats up. So, why didn’t the Contractor install the Central Vent to the Laundry Room?

Including other items I noted for this Baton Rouge Home Purchase, I estimated approximately $4,000 in needed fixes to the Contractor’s oversights. AND, the central unit was near the end of economic life (it’s near needing replacement), which will add $6,000 to the cost. I would caution Baton Rougeons when hiring a local Contractor to check their references, make sure they’re licensed and bonded and IF there’s a home loan involved, DON’T CLOSE ON THAT LOAN UNTIL YOU ARE 100% SATISFIED WITH THEIR WORK!

About Bill Cobb, Appraiser

The Baton Rouge Residential Appraisal Blog is an information source provided by local Home Appraiser, Bill Cobb, and Accurate Valuations Group. Bill has 24 years experience as a Baton Rouge Residential Home Appraiser and updates his local network of sites weekly with reports, videos and audio reviews of local housing market conditions! 225-293-1500